the amazing adventures of - · pdf filethe amazing adventures of articles 1 asps: ... cost...

Practical Leasing Strategies, Creative Marketing Ideas, & Proven Management Techniques

MARCH & APRIL 2001 VOLUME 22, NUMBER 169

The Amazing Adventures of

ARTICLES

1 ASPs: Evaluating the Risks and the Rewardsby Tami Siewruk

4 The New Ring of Your Next Leaseby Kate Good

6 Successful Phone Presentations - Part 1by Tami Siewruk

7 Are You Considering a Web Based Training Program?by Tami Siewruk

8 Monitoring Your Service Teamby Steve Matre

10 FEATURE ARTICLEThe Adventures of Leasing Lynda: Climbing the Career Ladderby Tami Siewruk

14 On Target Media Ads16 Seminars Deliver Traffic

by Tami Siewruk

18 Marketing Your Community from $0 to $200: Quick Tips from the BEST in the Industry

TO PLACE YOUR ORDER BY PHONE, CALL 800-363-7384 OR VISIT WWW.SMMONLINE.COM TODAY!

FOUR-FOOTED FOLLOW-UPWe designed this one especially for petfriendly follow-ups, but the memorablemessage will grab the attention of non-pet owners too! This catchy card makes iteasy to "paws" for a moment after aFuture Resident calls or visits your com-munity and let them know you're at theirservice to help them find a new home,whether just for them, or for their furryfriends too! Inside reads: “To thank youfor your interest in our community!Please feel free to call us if you have anyquestions.” Envelopes ProvidedItem 409 50 Cards $18.00Item 410 100 Cards $28.00

DOG-GONE GREAT SERVICE!It's not always easy to get feedback fromyour Residents, but this service survey isespecially designed to do the trick! Themessage on the front is ideal for petfriendly communities, but will make evennon-pet owners smile. The five-pointservice questionnaire on the back willtake them only a minute to complete (lit-erally - we timed it!), without fallingshort in providing the most critical infor-mation that you need to measureResident satisfaction and your serviceteam's performance.Item 411 100 Doorhangers $25.00

NEW DESIGN!!! BEE-Back!We've put a fresh new face on one of our all-time bestsellers to make it better than ever! This clever card isa proven closer. It offers a Future Resident that's justtoured your community, but hasn't made a decision,the dollar discount of your choice off their first month'srent - but only if they'll "bee-back within 72 hours" tosign a lease! Mail the card the same day a FutureResident visits your community or hand it to thembefore they leave. We've even heard of one companythat attaches Bit-O-Honey candies to each card tomake the offer extra sweet!Envelopes ProvidedItem 416 50 Cards $21.00Item 417 100 Cards $31.00

JUST PICK UP THE PHONE...Sometimes the old fashioned person-to-person approach works best. This no-nonsense card reminds your FutureResidents that the Internet isn't the onlyway to obtain information about yourcommunity. There's always a friendlyvoice waiting on the other end of yourtelephone to help them find their newhome! Inside reads: “Oh what a tangledweb we weave...Why not just pick up thephone and call us?”Envelopes ProvidedItem 412 50 Cards $18.00Item 413 100 Cards $28.00

COMMUNITY INFORMATION ENVELOPESNext to the key to their new home, the most valuable thing you cangive a new Resident is a customized packet of information aboutyour community and their new neighborhood! From your menu ofcommunity services to information about local utilities, hospitals,schools, businesses and more, these handy envelopes will help yougather a wealth of valuable info into one awesome 5" x 11.5" wel-come package that packs a powerful retention punch! They're pre-printed for easy personalization, including a place for you to addyour business card. Each package of envelopes comes with a handychecklist of suggested information to include. Item 407 100 Envelopes $24.00

NEW DESIGN - Welcome AboardEven the most seaworthy vessel needs a fresh coat ofpaint now and then, and we've just given a smart,new look to one of our all-time best-sellers. OurWelcome Aboard card is a classic when it comes tohelping you and your new residents set sail on a last-ing relationship. Let them know from the start thatthey're a welcome addition to your community, andthat you and your crew are dedicated to making themfeel special throughout their residency. Inside reads:“Thank you for selecting our community as your newhome. Be assured that you will always be treated withfirst class service by our loyal and dedicated crew.”Envelopes ProvidedItem 426 50 Cards $18.00Item 427 100 Cards $28.00

March & April 2001 Subscribe to Sales & Marketing Magic! Call 800-363-7384 1

E X P E R I E N C E S P E A K S

Are Application Service Providers the Keyto Accelerating your Communities' Management Strategies?

Despite the immaturity of the Application ServiceProviders market for the real estate industry and the lackof consensus on ASP definitions, ASPs do provide threeclear benefits: cost advantages, shared expertise, andflexibility.

How many Management Companies areusing ASPs?

What I have been finding is very interesting. There's aton of hype out there! A lot of companies are research-ing the ASPs and are sitting on a ton of information.The jury is still pretty much out, and in my opinion it'sdue to the fact that right now we have so many ways tocollect information that we would all love to have a lit-tle of what each ASP offers. The problems are that eachoffers something different and they aren't compatiblewith each other. Unfortunately no single ASP offers itall. The difficulty for management companies comeswhen we have to continually train the on-site level peo-ple to use the systems due to turnover and then theaggravation of having so many options for the informa-tion we can receive, evaluate and ultimately utilize. Ibelieve that over the next 6 to 18 months we will see ahuge consolidation of services. As the venture fundshave all but dried up, many of these companies aregoing to look for ways to survive. The only way I seethis happening is through consolidation.

What's the right approach, especially when this isa model that's unprecedented and pricing seems to beall over the map?

The Answer: Do a Thorough Cost Analysis.

The thing that's unprecedented here is that there are alot of options. There's a lot of neat software out thereyou can rent. There's much more economic astutenessin vendors that are selling. They're now really sophisti-cated. They have the tools now to answer tough ques-tions like, "How do I set the price?" and simulations tohelp you find out if you'll make enough money.

Pricing structures are all over the map because thisis a very competitive marketplace and the investormoney behind it has all but dried up. Once we start see-ing consolidation you can expect prices to rise.

A start-up fee and a monthly fee is still the mostcommon model. Now the typical contract is more inthe two to three year range. There are two sides to that:I don't think you can be a really good partner if you'redoing a short-term deal. People learn as a result of theexperience, and it takes awhile to get it down. In thisbusiness, leasing and marketing (turnover, pricing,vacancy, concessions, bad debt, etc.) are the biggestareas that impact our revenue. In one-year contracts,companies can't make enough money to amortize costs.Typical outsourcing contracts are three to five years, andtrying to be seven years. A one-year ASP contract wouldhave to be subsidized by investors.

Recommendations For Evaluating ASPs

Beyond the appeal of ASPs' offerings, consider how thewhole ASP model changes how you'll work. Not onlydo you and your employees have to be connected via theInternet to use the software, but you'll probably alsoneed a fast connection. ASPs may tell you their softwareruns just fine on a standard 56K dial up line. DON’Tbelieve it - at least not until you and the key employeeswho will be using it have put the system through itspaces.

1) Get an extremely clear picture of your compa-ny's drivers and outcomes. What do you have to have

ASPs: Evaluating theRisks and Rewards

by Tami Siewruk

2 Be sure to visit our web site! www.SMMOnline.com March & April 2001

happen in your company inorder for this to be a successfuldecision? REITs and private own-ers will all want and need some-thing entirely different although

they want basically the same information. For example,your target outcome might be to handle the reportingprocess of all your current communities and be able to add20 more communities without any more administrativestaff and still be able to maximize your yield.

2) Next get a clear statement on what services youneed to source. Look at what capabilities you alreadyown and are happy with, and then look for services thatdeliver the capabilities you need to move your companyto the next level. You'll also need a clear plan to put thenew capabilities into place. Try to compress those deci-sions into a short period of time - less than 90 days ifpossible. A small company can probably do it in less than60 days. When you get down to evaluating whether anASP can meet your needs, you really have to understandyour needs and what the company considers its successfactors to be.

3) Lastly, focus on being able to get a successful solu-tion instead of comparing vendors. Say the cost differ-ence between two vendors is 10 percent. You can chewthat up pretty fast going into a lot of due diligence.Focus your efforts on making sure whatever you choosecan provide the services you need, and have an exitclause in place.

Comments On Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

SLAs are very important, but a completely enforceablecontract won't do you any good if the company you'vecontracted with goes under. Suing someone when yourbusiness isn't functioning isn't a good thing to do. Yourreal concern should be with how an ASP gets it's money,and who is behind it.

The SLA helps you manage a successful ASP rela-tionship after you have done a financial due diligence.

Marketplace Consolidation

Choose a survivor. There are a large number of peoplethat are selling solutions that are relatively horizontal.There are important questions to ask here. Even if thesoftware has been customized, can it be transitioned? Ifit's a highly customized vertical, then you might nothave long-term support, but you can drop it on a rack ina different company and probably run for another sixmonths to a year if something drastic happens. Makesure you can move your applications to a different place,and try a strategy that minimizes customization, becauseit will be easier to be supported at a different site.

Consolidation Isn't the Only Risk

Right now there is a lot more perceived risk than thereare actual real-world horror stories, but let that perceivedrisk serve a purpose. Keep it in mind to ensure that youhave a good contract and exit clause, but don't let theperceived risk stop you from moving ahead.

There is another risk that is of a different magnitudethan consolidation, and that's performance risk. That'ssomething that people know how to take care of in termsof networking technology. You just have to be preparedfor the possibility that you may have to spend moremoney. Make sure your provider is positioned to be ableto upgrade its network so that if they do consolidate,you're fairly comfortable that the transition won't beproblematic.

There are also normal computing risks includingappropriate security, and ensuring that applications canrun when and how they're needed. An awful lot of peo-ple today are accessing applications over a network - soyou have the same risk if you own the system. This is acase in which the perception of risk is definitely greaterthan reality. Ask the ASP what authentication methodsthey use to make certain the person signing in to use theapp (and your critical data) is who they say they are.

The fact that you're working over a network is riskyto some extent. There are protection issues involved.Ask what level of protection you're paying for. Do youuse a VAN? Does the environment have 24x7 intrusionmonitoring? Is the environment certified and tested?

Does the data used by the ASP application reside onyour computers or on the ASP's servers? If it lives ontheirs, what backup procedures will the ASP use? If thedata reside on your computers, does the ASP offer an



Sales and MarketingMagic for ApartmentProfessionalsTM is pub-lished six times a year,and is available by sub-scription only.

Copyright 2001The Sales & MarketingMagic Companies, Inc.

ISSN#1078-1412

Reproduction of any por-tion or the entirety of thisnewsletter is strictly for-bidden without prior writ-ten permission from thepublisher.

This publication isdesigned to provideinformation in regard tothe subject matter cov-ered. It is sold with theunderstanding that nei-ther the editor nor thepublisher is engaged inrendering legal services.

If legal advice or otherexpert advice is required,the services of a profes-sional person should besought.

For subscription informa-tion, letters to the editor,comments or sugges-tions, please write orcall:

The Sales & Marketing Magic Companies

36473 U.S. Highway 19 N.Palm Harbor, FL 34684

Telephone: 800-363-7384Fax: 727-784-7978

E-Mail: [email protected]: www.smmonline.com

Chief Imagination OfficerTami Siewruk

Director of Order, Reason and Reality

Barbie Figueroa

Director of Making Stuff WorkMonique Guion-Kimball

Director of Getting Stuff Done Now

JoAnn Follert

Director of Making StuffLook Good

Leslie Zane

Director of Getting Stuffto the Right Address

Jeff Marriott

optional backup service that creates an extra,secure copy of the data on its servers everytime your employees use the application?How safe is the copy?

If you're going to try to achieve aboveaverage, competitive advantages in your busi-ness outcomes, then you're going to have toconfront issues of network performance, secu-rity, and managing sophisticated applications.The question becomes: How do I source thetalent?

When you start asking this, that's whenyou see that you're provisioning talent. Thescarce resource you're really buying istalent, efficiency, access to betterinformation that enables yourcompany to make more focusedand intelligent decisions. Tobe successful, you need a highdegree of expertise to tellwhether you're getting theright talent. That may requirea consultant. You're not buy-ing a commodity.

What Should we Expect in theFuture?

There are a lot of companies that can use anASP model to provide their service. Therewasn't much interest in that about a year ago,but the level of interest is much higher now.The ASP model is a lot like a private extranetmodel, but you're being charged for the serv-ices. As more and more people are looking athow to provide services over the Web, they'retrying to figure out an economic model overthe Web.

The major difference between Web serv-ices and ASPs is how you pay for them.

I think that if I were investing money in aASP, I would focus my decision-making atten-tion on the people who provide infrastructureservices - the hardware companies, network-ing companies, or traditional outsourcers. Asthe bandwidth becomes available, you'll seepeople that put your applications into facto-ries. These will be very large players - the

"mom and pop" ISP or ASP won't be able tocompete. Traditional outsourcing will ulti-mately have to move here, and some of thenetworking services will have to follow suit.

Lastly, you'll see verticals. Right now, thereare many ASPs offering specialized services,and each one is attractive to the multifamilyprofessional for different reasons. Whensomeone can eventually provide a turnkeysolution - let companies better compete - thenwe can utilize these specialized services moreeffectively.

I don't know whether some of the servic-es where companies are providing com-

modity applications over the 'Netwill ultimately fly.

In summary, don't let theperceived risk of using an ASPstop you from putting one touse, provided you negotiate agood contract with a necessaryexit clause; expect consolida-tion; and look for a turnkey

solution to eventually emerge.

As Chief Operating Officer ofThe Sales & Marketing MagicCompanies, Tami Siewrukshares more than 20 years ofexperience in multifamily hous-ing, encompassing leasing, mar-keting, management, training,

authoring, consulting, developing, and Brainstorming!For more information on Tami's newsletter, Sales &Marketing Magic for Apartment Professionals; thelatest Tools & Forms Catalogue; The 12th AnnualMultifamily Housing Brainstorming Sessions™; orto receive Tami's top ideas Too Great To Wait,FREE, via e-mail, please call 727-784-9469 or visitwww.SMMOnline.com.



"There it goes again, the phone just keeps ringing.I'm certain we have already had 100 calls today. Who isgoing to answer the phone because I'm not going to pickit up? I don't think I can get to it because I was just onmy way to make some chocolate chip cookies. Well, noone answered it. Oh well, they'll call back."

Does this conversation send chills up your spine? Willthat potential customer really call back? Ordinarily after thethird ring, we start to feel a slight sense of panic if no one haspicked up the phone. We have been taught over the years,not to let this happen. If a Regional Manager or Training

Director heard you mutterthe above comment, seriousrepercussions would proba-bly follow. Consequentlywe often have to interruptour conversations with cus-tomers and co-workers sothat we can answer thephone. After all that call is

paramount, because it might be your next lease.This is an example of how we have grown to make

the phone a resource for leasing appointments. Ourcompanies offer training classes focused merely on tele-phone skills. Now the time has come to give the sametime, attention and passion to another importantresource for leasing appointments: Internet Leads!

It's three o'clock in the afternoon, do you know ifyour team has followed up with their Internet inquiresyet today? As the Chief Cyber Shopper at Net MysteryShopper, I can tell you that 49% of the leads are neverfollowed up on. Let's compare that to the telephone.What if 49% of all the calls coming into a Leasing Officeare never answered? Would you be able to maintain youroccupancy above 90% and enjoy healthy rent increases?We all know the answer is no. The property would sim-ply not survive, yet we let almost half of the leads sent toour communities fall into the trashcan.

Often the Internet customer provides a better

opportunity for new leases than the telephone cus-tomer. When someone shops for an apartment on theInternet, they have prices, photo's, floor plans, depositsand qualifications all at their finger tips. The personusing the telephone to shop for an apartment is at severedisadvantage. An Internet customer can gather a greatdeal of information simply by clicking their mouse.Much of this information is only accessible to the tele-phone customer by an on-site visit.

This is why I feel the Internet customer is a morequalified lead than any other source of traffic. In addi-tion to this, diligently pursuing your Internet leads willprovide you with a much higher closing ratio. Here is anexample to consider. I recently finished serving as aMarketing Consultant on a new construction, lease-upproject. As part of our sales strategy we positioned oneconsultant to handle all Internet leads. This personunderstood the value of checking e-mail several times aday, and responding to inquiries within hours if not min-utes. Soon this person had the highest number of leaseson the team, and others were begging to take part in thisproject. Now all the leads are distributed evenly, and theleasing team understands the Internet lead may very wellbe their next lease.

Late last year I was consulting for a client who des-perately needed to improve the effort of his sales staff.While working on a number of areas to establish improve-ment, I discovered there were six to ten leads a week beingfaxed to the community via the Internet. I was disap-pointed, upon checking the computer, to find that theseguests had not been entered as traffic. When I asked theLeasing Consultant why this was happening, theyinformed me that they did not have email and could notrespond back to the customer. If you do not have e-mailavailable at your properties, this will become a recurrentproblem. In addition to this, many Internet apartmentshoppers will only provide their e-mail address to avoidreceiving phone calls. And finally, we also need to remem-ber that if our competition has e-mail capability at theirproperties, chances are pretty good that they are respond-ing to many leads faster than you are.

As I travel around the country, I am in a uniqueposition to see the latest trends. Beyond the sparkles andbows of a newly built apartment community, savvy salesand marketing are the hottest trend. The Net MysteryShopper's agree that Dallas and Los Angeles are two ofthe best cities for responding to Internet leads. It is timeto give your team the tools they need to excel at digitalmarketing. After all we gave them a phone: now givethem a mouse!

The NewR i n g

of Your Next Leaseby Kate Good

51% of all Internet

inquires are never

followed up on.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kate Good is a Professional Speaker and Chief CyberShopper with Net Mystery Shopper. Her team has virtual-ly shopped over 1,500 apartment communities in just 18months in an effort to provide you with the tools you needto increase your traffic through Internet leads.

For more information and to place an order visitwww.NetMysteryShopper.com. If you would like tohave Kate Good bring her ideas and sales techniques toyour company or association, contact her assistant,Barb Underwood, at (877) 771-2061.


Make it personal

Top Ten Internet Follow-up MistakesNet Mystery Shopper referred to over 1,800 Internet

mystery shops to compile this information. To find out ifyour leasing team is beating the national averages, visitKate Good and her team at www.NetMysteryShopper.comor call (877) 771-2061 and put an expert team of CyberShoppers to work for you!

#10. The brochure did not provide informationwe were looking for. Yes, this happens all toooften. Our Cyber Shopper requests informationon a 2 bedroom 2 baths, and we are sent floorplans for a 1 bedroom. It is obvious this is abarrier to leasing if the customer cannot findwhat they are looking for.

#9. The package arrived… postage due.Don't ruin your chances of making a greatimpression before the package is even opened.Make certain you know what the appropriatepostage is and if you are not certain, add a littleextra for good measure.

#8. The all-too-obvious auto response.Auto Response e-mails can be great step-saversin lots of situations, but there is nothing per-sonal about them. What is more personal thansomeone's home? It is important to customizeeven an auto response so that it is not the sameresponse the customer receives from the otherthree properties they inquired about.

#7. Spoke to quickly on the phone message.You may say the same thing 100 times a day,but the customer only hears it once. Slow downand take the time to properly communicate.

#6. Brochure sent, no note.You could have the nicest brochure in your city,but it is up to you to make it personal. Thismeans more than just stapling your business cardto the brochure. Take the time to write a noteand invite the guest to visit.

#5. Failure to send an e-mail within 4 hours of theinquiry. The Internet is all about real-time infor-mation. If you wait two days to follow up, some-one else will have already made contact and getthe lease!

#4. The anonymous follow-up.This happens with email responses as well as phonemessages. This is your first opportunity to buildrapport with the customer and it all starts withusing names. Whether you're calling, writing, or e-mailing, be certain to tell them who you are!

#3. Used the wrong name when addressing theCyber Shopper. Start to use your guest card assoon as you receive the inquiry. This is your toolfor note taking and will help you remember thecustomer's name.

#2. Forgot what you were going to say when leaving a voice mail. Our leasing offices are busyplaces but the customer deserves our undividedattention. Stay focused and make this call themost important thing you are doing.

#1. No follow up.51% of all Internet inquires are never followed upon. Need we say more?


The Three Types ofQuestions

The person asking the ques-tions is in control of the conver-sation, and you have to be incontrol before you can effective-

ly set an appointment and obtainthe Future Resident's contact information for follow-up.Much of your success will rely on effectively using threetypes of questions: open, closed, and assumptive.

Open-ended questions are designed to elicitmore than a "yes" or "no" answer, in much the same waya doctor does when he is trying to find out why you aresick. The goal of an open-ended question is to get theperson talking so that you can obtain general informa-tion. Common lead-ins include the words what, how,and why. You can only lease with sincerity and convic-tion when you have a complete understanding of theFuture Resident's wants and needs; and you'll only cometo that understanding by encouraging and allowing themto talk to you. This technique also helps tremendously indeveloping that very important rapport. To practice ask-ing open-ended questions, invite an associate to play therole of a Future Resident and advise them to answer asmany of your questions as they can with a yes or noanswer. Your goal is to then ask as many questions as youcan to force your associate to answer your questions witha more detailed response.

Closed questions are designed to solicit a sim-ple "yes" or "no" answer, or very brief response. The goalof a closed question is to control the direction of the con-versation or to limit talking. Common lead in words arewho, when, did, which, would, are, can, have, do, is,will, and may. To practice asking closed questions, invitean associate to play the role of a Future Resident andadvise them to answer as many of your questions as theycan with a long response. Your goal is to then ask asmany questions as you can to force your associate toanswer your questions with a simple "yes" or "no".

Assumptive questions are asked in a way thatassumes the person will become a Resident of your com-munity. As you've undoubtedly noticed, I prefer the wordsFuture Resident to Prospect or Perspective Resident. Thisimplies that your relationship building efforts will result inthis person becoming a Resident of your community. "MayI please ask how soon will you be moving in to our com-munity?" is another example of how you might useassumptive questioning in lieu of the usual"How soon do you plan to move?" or"When do you need to occupy theapartment?" These are basically thesame questions, but one assumesthat the person will choose yourcommunity. Assumptive ques-tioning plants a seed in theFuture Resident's mind, andsends a subtle message thatstarts the decision-makingprocess moving in your favor.

Naming YourCommunityNewsletter

Searching for a name for yourNewsletter? The name that youchoose should speak well for yourcommunity's individuality. Here is a list of potential titles to get you offto a great start!

Quick Tips for Successful Telephone Presentations: Part IBy Tami Siewruk

AccessAdvantageAdvisorBannerBeaconBriefsBulletinCircleConnectionCommunicatorCourierChronicleDigestEnterpriseEtceteraExaminerExchange

EyeFlashFocusForecastGazetteHeraldHorizonsHotlineInsiderJournalLeaderLightMessengerNewsOutlookPagesPeriodical

PerspectivePioneerPressProfilePostQuarterlyReportReviewSavvySocietyScopeScoopSourceSpotlightPressStarSun

TimesTopicsTodayTribuneViewViewpointWayWindowWireWordWorld

RESOURCES - Books of interest- available fromAmazon.com:

■ Multimedia-Based Instructional Design: Computer-Based Training, Web-Based Training, and Distance Learning by William W. Lee, Diana L. Owens■ Web-Based Training: Using Technology to Design Adult Learning Experiences by Margaret Driscoll, Larry Alexander■ Web-Based Training Cookbook by Brandon Hall


Are You Considering a Web-Based Training Program?by Tami Siewruk

Whether your company is developing one of itsown, or you're evaluating one that is available to you,here is a checklist to help you achieve the most out ofyour web-based training program.

MASTERING WEB-BASED TRAINING

Directions: The steps below will help to ensure that youdevelop an optimally effective web-based training pro-gram. Consider each item, and use the space provided tomake a note of what you plan to do to meet that partic-ular objective. The resulting plan of action will help toensure that your program achieves the desired results.

Develop problem-centered programs.______________________________________________________________________________________Create a safe and respectful environment for participants.______________________________________________________________________________________Encourage exploration, action, and reflection.______________________________________________________________________________________Make certain the program is Interactive - for example:allow learners to choose sequences, respond to quizzesor questions, participate in online conferences, e-mail,or join in live chat sessions.______________________________________________________________________________________Provide a program that is Nonlinear, allowing learnersto select and sequence their lessons and access otheravailable resources on the Web.______________________________________________________________________________________Create a consistent and easy-to-use graphic user interfacethat incorporates intuitive menus; an appropriate colorscheme; and easy-to-understand icons and text.______________________________________________________________________________________


Provide clear instructions and guidance for each lesson.____________________________________________________________________________________Enhance the learning experience with effective use ofmultimedia by combining text with graphics, video,sound, and animation effects that are appropriate tothe program's content.____________________________________________________________________________________Review and evaluate the educational measures of effec-tiveness to include clear objectives for the program,means of measuring adequate practice, and methodsfor gathering meaningful feedback.____________________________________________________________________________________

Assign responsibility for technical maintenance (i.e.ensuring that the program is free of "bugs,” updatingcontent, and ensuring that all "links" are operational).____________________________________________________________________________________

Websites of interest:http://www.geteducated.com/articles.htm - GetEducated.com is one of America's leading dis-tance learning consulting firms.

http://www.mhonlinelearning.com/ - McGraw-Hill OnLine Learning brings self-paced,interactive business and management courses to yourdesktop or home computer

http://www.digitalthink.com/ - Take a free course here to see what all the hype isabout. DigitalThink works with clients to create e-learning business solutions that are tightly alignedwith their overall corporate goals and that havemaximum, positive, bottom-line benefit.

http://www.gwu.edu/~etl/online.html - A Guide to Online Education with great informationand articles.


ustomer service remains, and always will be, a focal

point of operations for the apartment industry. It is still

very common, however, to leave your service team, more

specifically maintenance, out of incentive programs. It is

certainly not a sign of bad management. Incentive pro-

grams tend to revolve around the management office. As

leases are closed, the residents come! Right?! Well you

are half way there! Keeping those residents for maximum

rental growth and minimal apartment turn, vacancy, and

marketing expenses is the key role of maintenance in

concert with the management office.

Maintenance can make or break you! Here are some

fun ideas and programs to motivate the service team.

Inclusion is an important and appropriate place to

start. Property inspections and corporate visits can often

result in a to-do list presented in memo form to a

Maintenance Supervisor. This does give a list of tasks to

be done, but is not much of a motivating experience. A

fun rule of thumb to follow is that any property visit by

a Regional Manager or above requires accompaniment

on a property tour by the Property Manager and Lead

Maintenance. The benefits are clear. Walking together

ensures that disagreements are addressed immediately. A

"final" to-do list can be prepared then and there. All par-

ties are on the same page in terms of aesthetic standards

of curb appeal and preventative maintenance.

An important measure of maintenance effectiveness

is resident callbacks on service requests and move-in

inspections. By callbacks, I mean the resident calling to

inform the office that the work done was not sufficient.

This next motivator is negative, but powerful. Create a

"pot" or "cauldron" on the wall with construction paper

or poster board. Then, create a stack of sad faces. Set a

potential monthly bonus of, for instance, $400 to be

split evenly among the maintenance team. Then, set a

value on callbacks of, for instance, $20. Every time a

resident requires a technician to redo a service request or

re-address a move in preparation issue, a sad face is taped

to the pot and $20 comes off the bonus. This is a good

motivator which depicts the mass of sad faces created by

work not done right the first time and literally puts a

price on poor service! Don't forget to put a huge Happy

Face on the wall when the bonus is met, representing

your excitement over your service team's accomplish-

ment!

It is important to address what people are paid ver-

sus how much they are paid. Address this with your

maintenance team. Ask them outright what rewards

would get them pumped. It may be dollars, gift cards to

Home Depot, or any number of other items that appeal

to their personal tastes and interests. Money is often the

easy way out!

Especially in hot climates, it is important to

remember your maintenance teams preparing those

apartments and keeping grounds spotless during the

summer leasing season. Send someone from the office

out with water and lemonade for your Service Techs.

What a great gesture during the summer!

To further the inclusion principle, you may want to

give challenges to different property maintenance teams.

These challenges would be procedural difficulties the

company is facing at that time. A company supervisor

may brainstorm with a particular property's maintenance

team to find a solution to a company-wide problem!

This fosters inclusion, teamwork and the ability to truly

contribute. These "strategic teams" are terrific ways for

maintenance team members to achieve personal accom-

plishment and help a company solve some of its most

challenging issues.

A popular goal among Maintenance Supervisors and

Regional Managers is to foster a sense of detail. A great

way to do this, especially in an apartment turn, is to put

Monitoring Your Service Teamby Steve Matre


C

$5 & $10 bills in strategic places. For instance, place a $5

bill behind a refrigerator. Point out upon walking the

turned apartment that $5 would have been the prize had

the area behind the refrigerator been inspected and

cleaned. This works for grounds, too. Hide small

"rewards" in challenged areas around the proper-

ty! An alternative is to hide fake money or cer-

tificates that can be redeemed in the manage-

ment office for gift certificates, etc.

A further motivator is offering addition-

al educational opportunities. Provide reim-

bursement for the NAA's CAMT designa-

tion. In addition, address a maintenance

track for in-house training. Course offerings

could include OSHA Compliance, safety stan-

dards, knowledge of all mechanicals on site, Fair

Housing legislation, supervisory skills, time manage-

ment, budgeting, the importance of service, the impor-

tance of conduct and ethics, the importance of follow-

up, analyzing the competition, managing moments of

truth, team building, total quality management, creden-

tials, computer skills and motivational skills!

A special note about analyzing the competition: not

only should management teams shop the competition,

but your maintenance teams should as well. You will be

amazed at the tremendous ideas they return with. That

competitive spirit comes out when "the best" status is at

stake. After your maintenance team shops the competi-

tion, no other properties will be cleaner or well main-

tained than yours!

It's so fun to get everyone involved and motivated to

achieve your company's goals! Don't forget about the

maintenance team, your service providers! If you are not

addressing this area, these tips can be implemented now!

GOOD LUCK!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Steve Matre is Vice President of PortfolioManagement for Benj. E. Sherman &Sons, Inc., a full-service real estate firmlocated in Chicago, Illinois. His respon-sibilities include yield managementstrategies for a multifamily portfolio inFlorida, Texas, Ohio, Nevada, andArizona. His nine years' experience inthe real estate industry includes propertyand asset management, accountingsupervision, employee training, budgetpreparation, investor relations, financialanalysis, and design and implementationof procedures and controls. A graduatein Finance and English from theUniversity of Wisconsin, Steve is also aCertified Public Accountant, AccreditedResidential Manager, and CertifiedProperty Manager candidate. Stevewrites for several industry publicationsand speaks on various management andmotivational topics in a number offorums. Feel free to contact Steve at(312) 795-4721.

What a great gesture

during the summer!


... in hot climates, it is important

to remember your maintenance

teams ... send someone

from the office out

with water and

lemonade

for your Service

Techs.


hen I started in the apartment industry I wasthrilled. I loved leasing apartments and I soon wantedmore responsibility. I quickly became familiar with careerladder, rung by rung, and the positions available for meto aspire to. I gobbled up all the education that I wasoffered through our company and went to every privateseminar they would send me to, so I always felt wellequipped to perform the duties that I was responsible for.What they never taught me were the basic skills thatwould not only have made me even more successful atthe bottom of the ladder, but would have helped toensure my success as I progressed to the next level. WhatI really needed to know was how to step up the ladder,when the time was right for it, and be a great Manager,and then a Multi-Site Manager, then a MarketingDirector, Training Director or for that matter move suc-cessfully into any position that opened up to me in mycareer future. To be great in any position requires thesame set of basic skills. Unfortunately no one was pro-viding that training or advice when I needed it most; sofor those of you in the same place I was, or for those ofyou that want to put your foot on the next rung of thecareer ladder - no matter what position you're after - thisseries of articles is for you!

There are ten core competencies that constitute theessence of good management. This series is not anattempt to cover the theoretical side of management, noram I going to cover financial matters (though obviouslyany management role will require a strong foundation inaccounting, statistics, and the accumulation and inter-pretation of computer-based data).

What this series will cover is a review of key man-

agement functions, a summary of what a Managershould know, and affordable and readily-availableresources that you can turn to for additional informationand training, including a list of some of the best booksand online learning opportunities available to apartmentprofessionals at any stage of their career.

UNDERSTANDING THE MANAGEMENT PROCESS

Management is the process of working through individ-uals and teams to accomplish company and communityobjectives. A great Manager works through people. To dothis effectively requires the ability to communicate,motivate, and lead. The higher one climbs up the man-agement ladder, the more important her or his immedi-ate team becomes. Evaluating results is also a key man-agement function.

Not all great Managers have academic degrees. Manywork their way into key roles through experience andself-learning.

The ten core competencies (techniques) presented inthis series of articles, should be considered the ten stepson the ladder to successful management, no matter howit may be defined. Once learned, practiced and mastered,they spell success and advancement.

LEASING LYNDA ADVENTURE 101: PLANNING AND GOAL-SETTING

Managers are people who are charged with driving andprioritizing the tasks that are required in order to reach aspecific goal. This requires almost constant review (andoccasional revision) of what needs to be accomplished.

The Adventures of

Climbing theCareer Ladder

EPISODE 1

W

BY TAMI SIEWRUK

F E A T U R E A R T I C L E

Successful Managers are always planning. It is a concep-tual process that goes with being a Manager.

Planning is the thinking that precedes the doing.Great Managers know that they must establish organiza-tional goals, set objectives and prepare specific plans andschedules to see the goals and objectives accomplished.As Managers it is our position to:

1. Interpret the goals and objectives that have beenpassed down from supervisors and owners.

2. Gather the thoughts and ideas from the team whowill be directly involved, as well as your ownthoughts and ideas.

3. Formulate and devise a plan to accomplish thoseprocedures that will ultimately lead to achievinggoals and objectives.

4. Examine the alternatives at hand and select theactivities and programs that will lead to thedesired results.

5. Establish timetables and completion targets inkeeping with priorities.

6. Determine standards of performance and howresults will be measured.

7. Identify the resources necessary for accomplishment: people, time, financial, and other resources andtheir availability.

Although Managers must concentrate their planningon the overall performance of their area of responsibilitywhether it's a community, a portfolio of communities orevery community the company is involved with, theymust also initiate, define, plan, implement, and evaluategoals (within the larger framework) in order to reachtheir goals. To be an excellent Manager, you must be ableto successfully direct a number of critical projects simul-taneously. For example if you're an On-Site Manager youmay need to be focused on assisting your team in reduc-ing resident turnover by 9% this year, increasing occu-pancy 7% on an annual basis, increasing income by 11%and you might be in the middle of some capital improve-ments for the community. This requires several differentplans and involves keeping the members of your teamfocused on their respective tasks, on track and on time asappropriate, and ever in mind of the goal.


Continued Next Page


GOALS, GOALS, AND MORE GOALS!

Successful Managers are goal-oriented. They setgoals with their teams and also have their ownpersonal objectives. Goal setting and goal-reach-ing is an integral part of a successful Manager'smanagement style.

Goal-oriented people recognize that self-motivation comes from establishing reachablegoals. Successful people do not wait around forothers to motivate them. If others do not providemotivating goals, they provide their own. Theyhave learned that there is a satisfying fulfillmentwhen a meaningful goal is reached. They believein setting daily goals because they feel better atthe end of the day. They have weekly goalsbecause reaching them establishes that progresshas occurred. And although they may not talkabout them, these individuals usually have long-term or life goals that give them a sense of mis-sion. Goal-oriented people have little patiencefor those who do not set goals or respond to goalscreated by superiors. Because of this, theseManagers recognize the value of the "team"approach to productivity - they understand thatforming a team instead of a "work group" pulls allemployees together to reach a common goal.Successful Managers recognize the importance ofinvolving people at an individual level in workingtoward the goals of the team.

PERSONAL GOALS

Successful Managers are not only skillful in set-ting "team goals" with employees; they are suc-cessful in setting goals for themselves. They morethan likely set three types of goals: Career Goalsthat will create a career path that conforms totheir own desires, values, and comfort zones;Lifestyle Goals that will eventually give them thekind of leisure and/or family life they seek; andLife Goals that combine "wishes" for both theirworking and retirement years.

COMPANY AND COMMUNITY GOALS

All companies and communities have establishedgoals that were more than likely conceived by thecommunity or company owner(s). Once thesegoals have been established, the outcome is oftenthat teams increasingly learn to set their owngoals through meetings where everyone is

It won't take long for a Manager to determine whether or nothe or she is a good planner. Managers who stay involved inthe execution of their plans will become more familiar withthe success factors that are critical to their community's orcompany's success. Chances are excellent that these Managerswill be able to devise even more successful plans in the future,based upon well-determined priorities. If however, a Managerfinds it difficult to become and stay involved, or has troubleviewing a plan conceptually, it will be more difficult to do an out-standing job.

Planning means understanding conceptually what isrequired to successfully reach a goal or target based uponquality, time, and cost. Here are a few planning steps that aManager should be confident that they could accomplishwithin their area of responsibility:

1. Establish the objective.

2. Devise the strategy for achieving the objective.

3. Break the objective down into steps.

4. Determine the performance needs for each step.

5. Determine how much time is required to complete each step.

6. Determine the sequence for completing the steps andaggregate this information into a schedule to reach theobjective.

7. Determine the cost of each step and determine if it fits intothe current budget.

8. Design the necessary team organization, including theduties and responsibilities of each person on the team.

9. Determine what training, if any, is required for team members to reach the objective.

10. Develop any additional policies and procedures that maybe necessary to reach the objective.

PLANNING IS AN ATTITUDE

F E A T U R E A R T I C L E


involved in the process of setting time limits for achiev-ing the objectives and goals, determining the rewards forsuccess, and suggesting how their efforts can fit into thelong-range strategy of their community or company. Inother words, through the dynamics of the team process,they undertake assignments and tasks to make their teama winner. In doing this, they provide their own motiva-tion to establish and reach objectives and goals.

JUDGE FOR YOURSELF

Would you like to learn more about how to set andmanage goals?

Is having a goal your best way to stay motivated?

Are you flexible to revise your goals when, due to cir-cumstances beyond your control, they becomeunreachable?

Are you a competitive person?

Do you know how to involve your employees in goalsetting?

Do you agree that setting goals is almost the onlyway to achieve self-motivation?

Are you satisfied with your career, lifestyle, and lifegoals?

Only you have the answer!

Should you feel that you could use more training inplanning objectives and establishing goals, here areseveral resources available to you:

BOOKS

From Management Goal-Setting to Organizational Resultsby Keith Cutis; hardcover - 224 pages (August 30, 1994);Greenwood Publishing Group; ISBN: 089930902X

This book shows how Managers in any organiza-tional setting can improve their own and their teams'results through a unique, step-by-step approach to set-ting goals and then-most importantly-by putting theminto action. Curtis lays bare the linkages between organi-zational culture, philosophy, ethics, and the managementof information and change, and shows how they con-tribute to goal setting and achievement. ThroughoutCurtis argues that deciding "what to do" may be anessential component of goal setting, but the real chal-lenge is in "getting things done," and it is here that somany goal-setting systems fail.

AVAILABLE THROUGH AMAZON.COM

High Impact Tools and Activities for Strategic Planning:Creative Techniques for Facilitating Your Organization'sPlanning Process by Rod Napier, Patrick Sanaghan, ClintSidle, Patrick Saraghan; hardcover ring bound edition(February 1998); McGraw-Hill; ISBN: 0079137261

Not just another book on the theory of strategicplanning, here are dozens of recipes for creative groupactivities to facilitate strategic planning in any organiza-tion. Designed for use by consultants, facilitators, andmanagement team leaders, step-by-step instructionsguide you through exercises for gaining employee andmanagement participation, gathering feedback frommanagement about the current state of the organization,creating an organized mission, vision and values state-ment, and planning so that the vision becomes reality.Ready-to-use reproducible materials and handouts arealso included.

RESOURCES ON THE WEB

The following web sites are free, and offer excellentinformation and online training:

http://www.idynamics.com/goal/

http://www.topachievement.com/

http://www.mindtools.com/page6.html

SOFTWARE YOU CAN PURCHASE OR USE FOR 30 DAYS FREE

http://www.motivatorpro.com/

http://www.goalsetting.com/

VIDEOS

http://www.rctm.com/ Look for: Gung Ho! - TrainingVideo Based on the best-selling book Gung Ho! by KenBlanchard and Sheldon Bowles,

http://www.www-brainware.com/Motivation.htm lookfor: How to Set and Really Achieve Your Goals

AUDIO CASSETTE TAPES

http://www.win-winresourcecenter.com/goal-setting-denis-waitley.html look for: The New Dynamics of GoalSetting by Denis Waitley


ON TARGET MEDIA ADS

✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯


ON TARGET MEDIA ADS✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯

✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯

If you like these, there are hundreds more like them at www.SMMOnline.com! To receive your passwordto our Subscriber's Only Section, address an e-mail message to [email protected], and pleaseinclude your name and the address at which you receive your newsletter in the body of the message.


Sometimes the best advertising takes the form of education.A seminar (or mini-seminar), workshop, executive briefing, orbrownbag lunch program) can offer valuable free expo-sure. Beyond capitalizing on this fact, such programs canbe great fun!

Using free seminars to promote your community orcompany isn't a new idea. In fact we have heard of sev-eral companies that have been going to High Schools tospeak on "How to lease an apartment." These HighSchool seminars are directed at teaching a valuable lifeskill to seniors who are getting ready to go to college orare moving out on their own and will need to lease anapartment. Seminars are becoming a popular low-costpromotional choice for both leasing apartments andfinding new employees, in part because other forms ofcommunication have become so overcrowded.

It's important to differentiate the free seminar (oursubject) from the for-a-fee version that has become sopervasive. The paid variety has been around for years;these programs have popular themes such as Excellence,Quality, Employee Rights, Customer Service, etc. Yousimply pay your money (generally $49 - $700) and spenda day or two exploring the topic with experts in the field.Those who organize the seminar are doing so for a pur-pose: to make money from the attendance fee.

The free seminar is quite different. The organizer(you) of the free seminar is not in the business of makingmoney, but rather is employing a valuable to either gainnew employees or locate more residents and, in theprocess, provide valuable information to the attendees.It's a great way to break through the clutter of advertis-ing and face your prospects head-on. In effect, you areasking potential employees or residents to attend yourseminar, obtain some free knowledge about a very spe-cific subject (leasing or your company), and as a result,expose themselves to your company or community. Ifyou can do it correctly, everybody wins.

For convenience, I am using the word "Seminar" todescribe many kinds of meetings. Seminars have animage of being somewhat academic and stuffy. You can"lighten up” your meeting by calling it a program. Thischoice of words has proven very successful when youwant to take a seminar to a college and delivered to stu-dents who have been living in a dorm and will soon belooking for an apartment. You may want to considercalling your seminar a "brown bag lunch program."Flyers can be distributed around the campus or in thehigh school classrooms informing students that the pres-entation will be given in a certain meeting room atnoon. Bring your lunch and learn, strictly optional.The response can be outstanding if you keep it lightand upbeat.

1. Decide if seminars or variations of them are agood fit for your community's resident profile.

2. A seminar that you "co-star" in can do wondersfor your community or company:

- You gain credibility.- You get visibility without major cost.

As a personal benefit, the fact that you have becomea spokesperson for your company or industry can beused to enhance your brochures, advertising, etc., and itlooks great on your resume. To reap these benefits, you'llwant to make certain you get star billing, and a simpleway to do this is to have a third party (a friend, businessacquaintance or employee) act as Master of Ceremoniesat your seminar. This will allow a glowing introduction(of you) to be made by someone other than you. Itenhances your credibility and gives the seminar a moreprofessional tone. This person would also handle anyannouncements, present the agenda, and could also beyour "closer" if you so choose.

Be honest with yourself about the fact that youmight be a good presenter, but a mediocre sale closer,or vice versa. It's very rare to find a person who isboth. Feel free to use others to shore up areas whereyou may be weak.

3. You must conveyknowledge and enthusiasm toyour audience as well as empa-thy for their particular prob-lems. This should be done inan upbeat and compelling man-ner. Add heavy doses of humorto keep everyone attentive.

4. Think of a seminar /program as a great way to deliv-er a long, compelling, soft-sell-ing commercial to an interestedaudience.

Seminars DELIVER Traffic

12 TIPS TO GET YOU STARTED!

5. Allocate the first 75% of your presentation to thesubject at hand. The last 25% should be devoted to avery soft sell of how your company or community canhelp the participants. The success of the last part will, toa great degree, depend on the quality of what you presentin the first part. It goes without saying that, in this arena,a soft sell is far preferable to a hard sell.

6. Remember that you want this seminar to be freefor you, too. Here are some suggestions:

Get the room free. If you don't have the space,use a room at a community center, church, or library.Also consider holding it at one of your supplier's officesor at the office of a complementary business. For exam-ple you may want to team up with other communities inyour area or have your local apartment association spon-sor the programs. Each community then attends the sem-inars/ programs and sets up display tables with commu-nity information. If you want to pay for the meetingroom with sponsors you may consider calling in variousrental companies such as trucks, furniture, water deliveryservices and so on.

Remember also that the selling aspect of a seminarmust be very subtle. Don't go into it looking for a quickway to close ten new leases within a week. This type ofexposure produces results weeks or even months later.

7. Keep your seminar as short as possible. As a rule,if you can keep it under 90 minutes, you won't even haveto pay for coffee. Any longer and you must supplyrefreshments and, in some cases, meals.

8. While you or your company must be seen as the"star," ask others from your industry to speak on specifictopics. A great source of speakers is probably sitting onyour desk right now. The editors and publishers of indus-try publications love to be asked to participate in theseseminars; they lend credibility, and it's good exposure forthem, too. Ask them to speak for fifteen minutes on theirparticular area of expertise within the industry.

9. Make sure your seminar has a theme. There aremany to chose from. Above all, make sure your selection isinteresting to your attendees. This may seem like a simple

point, but many seminar planners like to talk about whatinterests them and forget that their real purpose is tointerest attendees.

10. If you are leading a seminar, allow six seconds fora response to any question that you ask the audience. Ifsomeone is going to respond, they'll do it within six sec-onds.

11. Visit these websites to help you in developingyour presentation:

- Lenny Laskowski is an international ProfessionalSpeaker and an expert on presentation skills and relatedtopics. This site is full of articles and you can sign up forhis free monthly tips.

http://www.ljlseminars.com/monthtip.htm

- Discover how easy it is to create a successful work-shop - even if you've never presented one before... withthis manual written by Master Trainer Jan Noyes.

http://www.howto4u.com/

- Great resource for all kinds of free informationPresentation Skills Secrets, Tips, Ideas, Suggestions andAdvice, TOTALLY FREE!

http://speechdoctor.bizland.com/

12. Here are some books available fromAmazon.com that will provide you with some assistance:

- Public Speaking: Proven Techniques for GivingSuccessful Talks Every Time, by Steven Frank; paperback- 256 pages 1 Ed edition (December 1999); AdamsMedia Corporation; ISBN 1580621848

- Inspire Any Audience: Proven Secrets of the Prosfor Powerful Presentations by Tony Jeary, Zig Ziglar;paperback - 224 pages (January 1998); Honor Books;ISBN 1577570235

- 7 Steps to Fearless Speaking by Lilyan Wilder;paperback - 240 pages 1 edition (April 12, 1999); JohnWiley & Sons; ISBN 0471321591


E X P E R I E N C E S P E A K Sby Tami Siewruk

or less that $100 bucks I always order pens with theproperty address, phone and website and pass them

out in large quantities to every restaurant, business andconvenience store in the area. I am amazed at how manypeople come in with those pens. It's nicer than a flyerwith the same results!

When visiting a corporate contact that is hard to getin to - purchase a floral bouquet and act as the handdelivery person - many receptionists say to just leave itwith them but I always insist saying I had explicitinstructions. When the HR person comes out they areso delighted with the beautiful flowers they have noproblem listening to my quick pitch and taking myinformation to pass along. I am sure that with thoseflowers on their desk from XYZ apartments, I made alasting impression!

Tracey HopkinsJumpstart Marketing13004 Hermitage LaneFrisco, TX. 75035, Phone is 972-712-2400,Fax 972-712-3101. E-mail [email protected]

ere are a few ideas I found to be working very wellon our communities:

1. Organization is the KEY to success! Designate oneperson in your leasing office to be in charge of the internetleads. Create a notebook with one section designated for eachWeb source (ex: Rentals.com, Springstreet.com, Rent.Net, etc.).Print all leads to put in notebook and work them IMME-DIATELY! Be sure to document all contact (at least threeattempts!) with the Prospective Resident! I have found thatassigning this job to only one person in the office creates con-sistency and lessens our chances of losing the HOT leads!

2. Contact your local businesses (ex: dry cleaners,restaurants, car washes, etc.) to advertise for free in yournewsletter! I have found that Resident Update can scan

the logo of the business for a very professional look!Many times different businesses will offer a discount toyour Residents! It is a great service to offer, it is FREE,and it helps to develop relationships with your local busi-nesses!

3. Be sure to advertise ALL of your resident servicesevery month (via newsletter, bulletin board, and com-munity flyer)! Ask yourself, are we creating value?!? Arewe advertising services or items on our community thatwill generate income? (ex: guest apartment, clubhouserental, etc.) Make sure your Residents are remindedEVERY month of how much you can offer them!

Beth BarefootRegional Marketing ManagerMetric Property Management

mproving upon what you already have:

1. Your fax cover sheet should sell your community,not just be a simple fax cover sheet. Describe the benefitsof residency (do you allow free faxing? Talk about it onyour cover sheet!), include a coupon for a reduced secu-rity deposit or application fee, or maybe describe yourupcoming resident activity.

2. Stop wasting all of that valuable space on yourenvelopes. Having your return address listed is fine, buthow about listing some of the great features of your com-munity on your envelopes? Stamps.com took the ideaone step further and printed a marketing message on theINSIDE of the envelope! Great idea!

Lisa Trosien Multifamily Training and Consulting Owner/Moderator APTListserv ApartmentExpert.com Phone: 630-898-8898 Fax: 630-898-8785


Marketing Your Community from $0 to $200: Quick Tips From the BEST in the Industry

F

H

I


still contend - Resident Referrals! For those communi-ties still eligible to pay them. In my experience with

"B" and "C" communities with little to no budget, weincreased promotion of our resident referral program andin almost every case were able to make it one of our topthree sources of traffic. I like resident referrals for a lot ofreasons. A) They are an easy sell. In fact, our closingratios were at least 50% on traffic generated from refer-rals. B) Referrals aid in renewals. When residents havefriends and family (I sound like an MCI commercial)around they tend to stay longer. Thus, reducing myturnover on the community. Plus, this aids in the expens-es for the community and provides more $$$ at renewaltime for "home improvements"!

The key is the promotion of the referral program.Here were some of our rules.

The Residents were notified of the referral programevery week (flyers, signs, etc.), religiously! The referralwas changed monthly to add to the excitement. The refer-ral was significant enough to entice the Resident but wasalso relative to our current vacancy status. The morevacants - the more the referral. Think about it. Whywould we pay $400 for Apartment Guide and pay ourResidents only $50? Doesn't make sense to me!

We posted the referral everywhere. Laundry rooms,fitness centers, hallways, newsletters, mailboxes, etc. - theentire staff knew about the referral amount and promot-ed it, too. We even paid them for referrals. We dis-cussed it in the move-in process, renewal process andeven move-out process.

Our most success came from "Cash In A Flash." Theflyer read, "Earn $1500 just for referring your friends andfamily.” We paid $100 for 1st referral, $200 for 2nd refer-ral, $300 for 3rd referral, $400 for 4th referral and $500for the 5th referral. They had 30 days to achieve the refer-rals otherwise the process started over.

Referrals...The most under-promoted source for traf-fic generation!

Tammy ChiversRegional DirectorCareer Strategies, Inc.Phone 502-893-2900Fax 502-893-2901E-Mail [email protected]

ere's a GREAT idea we found in the SMMOnlineIdea Bank! For more great ideas, visit

http://www. smmonline.com/idea_home.htm

Using Microsoft Publisher, I created bookmarks withour property information and a slogan for the season,laminated them, and placed them by our property in allthe local apartment guides in the area!

Slogan examples: "Come home for the holidays atThe Club at Hickory Hollow"

Media Vehicles: All apartment guides in the local area

Estimated Cost: $20.00

Results: Tons of traffic! The property was "book-marked for success" and a lot of prospects started theirsearch for a new home with us.....and came back to lease!

Holly MillerThe Club at Hickory HollowEmail: [email protected]

uick Tip for Low-Cost Marketing: Spa Night!Everyone is seeking ways to de-stress their life. Take

advantage of this popular trend by asking the followinglocal vendors to contribute their time/products for theopportunity to advertise their business:

1) Turn off those energy draining fluorescent lightsand burn scented candles in clubhouse office. Contact aPartylite (or other independent candle rep) and havethem donate the candles and their catalogs.

2) Contact a nutritionist and have them handout amonth's worth of healthy, quick-fix meals complete withrecipes and their cards. Or contact a "Pampered Chef"rep and ask them to create some appetizers and includetheir catalogs in the info bag*.

3) Have a professional masseuse set up their chair andoffer 10-minute neck massages.

4) A personal trainer providing 10-minute consulta-tions on how to use the equipment in your workout center.

5) Free vision, hearing, or blood pressure screeningcoordinated through local health provider.

I

I D E A E X C H A N G E

H

Q

Continued Next Page

6) Individual water bottles cooling on ice donated byyour local bottled water supplier.

Ask vendors who donate their time/items to supplytheir marketing material, flyers, cards, etc to you beforehand and place their items (along with your referralinformation) in a decorated *info bag. (Brown lunchbags with sticker, close bag by using a hole-punch andthreading a small ribbon through the top)

Your only costs: Tray of fresh veggies or fruit (if localsupplier to donate can not be found) and an "Enya" orother mood music CD.

Consider providing this "event" from 3:30 pm -7:30 pm on Thursday evenings for one month.

Deb BronsonProfessional Trainer & ConsultantDeb Bronson & AssociatesPhone 248-737-6135 / Voice Mail: 800-358-7246Fax 248-851-4744E-Mail [email protected]

Doug Miller at SatisFacts Research, LLC, sent us anamazing article a few weeks ago: a summary of his com-pany's survey results for the year 2000. We were all setto run it in the current issue of SMM when we foundthat there was just too much amazing info to fit into thelayout - nevertheless, it's a MUST read, and we want totell everyone about it!

Point your web browser to: http://www.smmonline.com/bb_expert_marketing.htmand scroll down to: Service and "The Basics" Are theKeys to Resident Satisfaction, by Doug Miller. If youcan't reach the article online, but do have e-mail access,drop us a line at [email protected] with "SatisFactsArticle" in the subject line and we'll forward a copy. Thearticle is also available under the new "Resources andLinks" section of the Satisfacts web site at: www.satisfacts-surveys.com.

The reasons that thousands of Residents cite forbeing unsure about renewing, along with their commu-nity improvement suggestions, may change your percep-tion of Resident Retention forever. Remember that yourResidents have performance enhancing insights to share- if you'll just ask the right questions, and listen!


Coming Soon Mark Your Calendars!

April 26-28, 2001Multi-Housing World 2001 (Conferencefrom 4/26-28 and Expo on 4/27-28), OrangeCounty Convention Center, Orlando, FL.Visit www.mhw.com or call 800.527.0207 forinformation and updates.

May 5-8, 2001IREM Leadership & LegislativeSummit, Omni Shoreham, Washington,DC. Visit www.IREM.org or call 312-329-6000 for information and updates.

June 14-16, 2001NAA Education Conference and TheReal Show of Real Estate Management,Las Vegas Hilton and Las Vegas ConventionCenter. Mark your calendar now and Visitwww.naahq.org or www.therealshow.com orcall 703-518-6141 for information andupdates.

October 21-23, 2001 Multifamily Executive EducationalConference, Fairmont Hotel, Dallas, TX.Visit www.mfeconference.com or call800.394.5157.

November 7-9, 2001The 12th Annual

Multifamily HousingBrainstorming Sessions™

The Silver Legacy - Reno, Nevada REGISTER NOW

at www.smmonline.com/brainstorming.htm or call 727.784.9469 for information & updatesIf you can only attend one industry event this year -

this is the one you can't afford to miss!

I D E A E X C H A N G E

Too Great to Wait

Nowadays, it seems that everyone has a personal page on the web… a littlepiece of cyberspace that's all about the issues, events, opportunities, andresources that are important only to them. Now YOU have one too.Introducing ApartmentProfessionals.com, your online resource for theinformation you need to become a more effective Apartment Professional,featuring:

!! The Apartment Professional's Who's Who Database - The hottestnew apartment industry networking tool to hit the web, and it's completely FREE!

!! Industry Awards Programs At-A-Glance - A comprehensive, linked listing of all of the awards programs available to members of our industry.

!! Industry Designations At-A-Glance - A comprehensive, linked listingof the leading training and designation programs that are available tohelp you further your career.

!! Industry Events - An across-the-industry and nationwide calendar ofevents that are of interest to our industry.

!! The Sponsor's Gallery - Brief product / service descriptions for the leadingcompanies who support ApartmentProfessionals.com, featuring one-click e-mail and web site access.

!! And Much More!

Your Personal Home Page On The Web…

! YES! I want to increase my occupancy, rentsand traffic while reducing resident turnover. Sendme a one-year subsciption to Sales & MarketingMagic for $118. Plus, I’ll receive a FREE SpecialReport: How to Create, Develop and Implement aSuccessful Resident Retention Program. I under-stand I have a one-year, 100% money-back guar-antee if I’m not totally satisfied. All I have to do iscall or write and you’ll refund my entire subscrip-tion amount immediately. Florida residents, pleaseadd sales tax.

NameCommunity/Company

Address

City

State Zip

Telephone

Fax

E-mail

Referred By

PO#

! DOUBLE YES! Forget the one-year sub-scription. I’m really convinced Sales & MarketingMagic is for me. I want to SAVE on my subscrip-tion, so send me TWO YEARS for $169 (a savingsof $67). I understand the same guarantee appliesand that it is extended for the entire two-year sub-scription period.

! PAYMENT ENCLOSED: I’ve enclosed acheck or money order for my subscription.

! BILL ME: Sorry, but it takes a while to get acheck cut, and I want my Sales & Marketing MagicNOW! I’ve issued a PO and will process yourinvoice the day I get it!

Call, Fax, or Mail Your Subscription Today!

Sales & Marketing Magic36473 US Highway 19 North

Palm Harbor, FL 34684Email: [email protected]

Web site: www.SMMOnline.com

Telephone: 800-363-7384Fax: 727-784-7978

Multiple Subscription Rates Call to Order

2-4 Subscriptions $98 ea. 5-9 Subscriptions $68 ea.10-19 Subscriptions $58 ea. 20-49 Subscriptions $48 ea.

50+ Subscriptions $38 ea.

FIRST CLASSPOSTAGE

PAIDPALM HARBOR, FLPERMIT NO.499

the amazing adventures of - · pdf filethe amazing adventures of articles 1 asps: ... cost...

Documents